GM targets PHEV market with Buick Electra E7

GM holds tech media roundtable

Engine acts as generator; EV range up to 126 km

'PHEV a key portfolio item, not a one-off'

The Buick Electra E7, Buick's first model to go on sale in South Korea, unveiled at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Sept. 30. [Provided by GM]

General Motors Korea is setting its sights on the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle market, leading the charge with the Buick Electra E7, which goes on sale next month.

GM Korea held a "Tech Media Roundtable" Thursday at Coworkers Plus in Jongno-gu, Seoul, presenting the company's electrification strategy and the Electra E7's PHEV system. The company highlighted the vehicle's ability to run quietly like an electric vehicle in everyday driving while drawing on engine power for long-distance and high-speed travel to ease charging concerns.

Kim Hyung-min, a manager at GM Technical Center Korea, described PHEV as "an important step toward full electrification" and "a technology that broadens driving options for consumers who feel inconvenienced by charging infrastructure and range limitations." The system allows external charging and substantial all-electric driving, while also enabling the engine to kick in like a conventional hybrid when charging is not readily available.

The Electra E7 is built around a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, a 165-kilowatt drive motor and a battery of up to 31.7 kilowatt-hours. At low speeds, the vehicle runs on the electric motor alone without activating the engine. The engine primarily serves as a generator, stepping in as a supplementary power source during high-speed driving or when additional acceleration is needed.

Kim Hyung-min, a manager at GM Technical Center Korea, explains GM's electrification strategy at the Tech Media Roundtable held Thursday at Coworkers Plus in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Provided by GM]

Park Sang-young, another manager at GM Technical Center Korea, stressed that "a PHEV is not simply a car that uses an engine and electricity together," adding that "what matters is how the two energy sources are distributed and what kind of driving experience that delivers to the customer."

The battery capacity is roughly half that of the Chevrolet Bolt EUV, a pure electric vehicle. The Electra E7 can travel up to 126 kilometers on electric power alone and more than 1,000 kilometers when the engine is also in use. Fast charging brings the battery from 20 percent to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. The vehicle uses a lithium iron phosphate battery.

Drivers can choose from three energy modes depending on driving conditions. EV mode prioritizes battery power for quiet, efficient driving in urban and short-distance settings. Power Retention mode keeps the battery at a desired charge level — useful for saving electricity to drive on battery power upon arriving in a city after a long trip, or to run appliances via the vehicle-to-load function at a campsite. Intelligent Hybrid mode, or i-HEV, lets the vehicle automatically distribute energy by factoring in battery state of charge, engine efficiency and driving conditions.

Park Sang-young, a manager at GM Technical Center Korea, explains GM's electrification strategy at the Tech Media Roundtable held Thursday at Coworkers Plus in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Provided by GM]

For battery safety, the Electra E7 uses GM's connected service OnStar to monitor warning signs such as voltage deviations between cells, temperature and internal pressure, alerting the driver via mobile message when a problem is detected.

GM has been broadening its lineup with hybrids as demand for pure electric vehicles slows. At the third-quarter earnings call on Oct. 20 (local time), GM Chair Mary Barra said the company would "have hybrids across multiple segments" and that the plans were "already reflected" in its product roadmap.

Kim said PHEV "is not a one-off or short-term product but one of the important areas GM will maintain and develop," adding that GM's research organizations, including those in North America, are working on related technologies.

However, GM Korea did not disclose specific plans to expand its domestic PHEV lineup. The Electra E7 is developed and produced by SAIC-GM, a joint venture between GM and China's SAIC Motor. Ahn Sang-jun, a manager at GM Korea, said the possibility of applying PHEV technology to other brands and models "remains open," but added that decisions on whether to import or produce the vehicles in Korea, and when to launch them, would depend on market demand and business conditions.

Kim said "it is true that shifts in the political landscape are raising the profile and demand for Korean parts suppliers," noting that North American experts had made too many visits to domestic companies this year alone to count. Korea's role will only grow going forward, Kim added.

eyre@heraldcorp.com